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Toss a Top;ic #13 - 9/18/2008 6:56:39 PM
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Novalist
Posts: 251
Joined: 6/3/2006
Status: offline
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*New changes/suggestions have been made to this-please read before participating.
Toss A Topic is a fun writing exercise(and challenge!) for all the writers here-if you have time to participate, it'll be fun! I promise that you’ll pick up a little something-such as weekly writing practice, meeting a deadline (the topic cutoff), writing within a word count and writing on topic. Great skills for any writer!
Once a week, a topic will be posted. Write between 100 – 500 words about whatever it brings to mind. Think about what happened to you this week, or dig into your cache of memories.
Entries that are too short/too long will not be reviewed!
Only ONE entry per writer. Previous winners can still participate.
Minimum of 3 entries are required for the contest aspect of this challenge to be fair to all participants. If this number is not reached by the set date, the deadline will be increased.
You may write a short fictional piece, a memoir, a poem, essay, or a song as long as it relates to the current topic.
At the end of the time, the topic will be closed. Readers can vote for the one they liked best. Votes will be sent to me, via PM and at the end of the voting period, I'll announce the winner.
Entries may not be the 'best'; in grammar, spelling, or formatting, etc. … but the thought that appeals to you, something that makes you laugh, or touches your heart, that's a keeper!
The winner of the challenge has the privilege of “tossing” the next topic.
They may choose a noun, a verb, or an adjective. (e.g. – music, driving, laundry, etc.)
If the winner doesn't choose a topic within two days, I will choose one to keep this going.
PLEASE READ:
Be sure to check the topic clarification before beginning your piece, so you know whether you are on topic.
Know the deadline. (September 30)
Don’t forget to assign a title to your piece.
Do NOT edit your piece after posting-this is unfair to the other participants. Unless there is something (e.g. missing title) or you wish to add an Author’s note, (word limit for author’s note is 100 words-but may be counted as part of a whole if your entry is under the word count). Think of it as a contest where your entry was submitted and cannot be changed.
Deadline: September 30
Topic
Fire
Topic ends on Wednesday, September 30.
Clarification: Stories should include fire of some sort or setting indicates that a fire is involved.
Thanks for your participation-happy writing! 
_____________________________
Live life to the fullest and it will never become empty.
Although one picture speaks a thousand words, a thousand words make a better picture.
Reading is the art of seeing the pictures between the lines.
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RE: Toss a Top;ic #13 - 9/24/2008 10:25:32 PM
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Zhi
Posts: 1500
Joined: 7/31/2007
Status: online
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Blaze of Glory
Ready.
She had been ready to take on the world, in those early days. Raised in the lap of luxury, educated in only the best schools. Yes, things had taken a turn for the worst, her father’s business failed, her mother died, and the headmaster of the school she taught at started flirting with her incorrigibly, but marriage had been an easy way out.
At least she thought it would be. Her husband had turned out to be a violent drunk, with a couple of native mistresses on top of that. Indonesia would have been pure torture, had it not been for the culture. The incredible culture... especially the dance. Dance had been her escape, her joy. Finally she had found her calling! She smiled faintly at the memory. Oh, the plans she had made...
Aim.
Her aim was set for the stars. Why settle for less? She was sure she was good... very good in fact. She only needed to get out of Indonesia, away from that monster of a husband. She fled to Paris, the hunger for fame and a return to the fortune of her youth always driving her onward. She reinterpreted the dances she had learned, making them flirtatious, perhaps even a bit scandalous, especially with those costumes. Perhaps she had been a bit... misleading... about her origins, but why not make herself more mysterious, more desirable?... a princess, perhaps.
Everyone had loved her! The parties, the social events, the performances, the friends and finery and excess. There were always men ready to lavish her with anything she desired. Her list of conquests was extensive. There had been military officers, politicians, even a crown prince! All of Europe was her playground. And yet, even then, whispers of conflict had been in the air, whispers that soon turned to cries of war. She had tried to stay out of it, tried to continue her life, her carefree movement from lover to lover, country to country. Trying had not been enough. If anything, it had made things worse.
Tears filled her eyes, fear rose in her chest, though she was careful not to let it show. It was so unfair! Why had it all gone wrong? She wanted to be known as a dancer, an artist! Would her adoring fans and lovers remember her as she had been? Exotic, beautiful, artistic, full of life? Or would her name carry down through the centuries, spoken only in venomous whispers? Would the thin veneer of hatred that coated the name Benedict Arnold now edge the name of... Mata Hari?
There was nothing left for her now. She would face her death as she had faced her life: proud, elegant, and unafraid. No blindfold would muss the coiled braids of her black hair. No bonds would sully her posture or snag at her velvet cloak. She fixed the men before her in a cold and steadfast gaze, daring them to blink, defiant to the last.
Fire.
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I hope I'm close enough to the intent of the topic. My brain went down an admittedly odd path when I saw the word. I had initially thought about making it entirely fictional, but after a few false starts, I thought... why not throw in some actual history? That might be fun...
Either way, I mostly could use some critique, and I definitely need the practice. ;)
500 words is always too little. *sigh*
Edit: Thought I should bold the title. Oops!
_____________________________
The optimist says the glass is half full. The pessimist says the glass is half empty. The engineer says the glass is twice as large as it needs to be.
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RE: Toss a Top;ic #13 - 9/27/2008 12:28:23 AM
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GrandAdmiralThrawn
Posts: 55
Joined: 10/3/2007
Status: offline
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Age of Fire Dreamers
Not to long ago on crystal clear night, in a land not to far from here was a fire dreamer by the name of naH treboR. While treboR was at his close friend’s party on this crystal clear night in the town of Fair Oaks he happened upon a beautiful town’s girl by the name of aieL elociN.
They got to talking about themselves and sat down to watch Lake House on a small love couch. Before they new it they fell fast a sleep. While on a normal night the fire dreamer would have dreams of dangerous house fires one day before they happened, but on this night he did not dream of house fires but a different kind of fire.
He dreamed of a fire in his heart, a passion for elociN that made his heart feel like it was on fire and he could not put it out. He dreamed that he was dancing with elociN on mostafar where fire surrounds them. He was as happy as he could ever be. Until…he woke up a lone.
The next morning he woke up cold and a lone. elociN had to be at InNout at 8 a.m. and did not want to disturber treboR, so she left him a note saying what was up and why she left “I am so sorry I had to leave with out saying good bye. I left because I had work at 8 a.m. but if you want to stop by I am working till 6 p.m.” with that said he hopped in the shower got dressed and ran after her.
He got to InNout by 12:20 which was there lunch rush and did not know what to do, so he bought lunch and waited till the rush was gone to say “ That was the best night I have had in awhile can we do it a gain?”. She responded in shock “Yes most defiantly that was the best I have had in awhile too how about tomorrow we can go see Indiana Jones and then have dinner at my place?”
He responded “that sounds great I will pick you up at 5p.m.”and he left with a happy face. After two weeks of seeing each other every other night treboR was so happy to be with elociN that he went to tiffany’s and bought a 14k gold ring with a 10k diamond.
He met up with elociN for there two week anniversary and went to his house. After they got in the house he had her sit on the same love couch they met on, went and got the ring and said aieL elociN will you marry. All she could say was could say was yes. And so one week later they got married.
< Message edited by GrandAdmiralThrawn -- 9/27/2008 7:15:56 PM >
_____________________________
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." Albert Einstein
God blesses everyone so help other that need it and bless their day :Thrawn
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RE: Toss a Top;ic #13 - 9/27/2008 4:16:06 PM
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Rikku
Posts: 142
Joined: 11/14/2005
Status: offline
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The Heritic
Today was the day. Junia woke groggily, it was impossible to sleep well on the floor of her cell. The sun shone in through the small window. “It looks like it will be a good day to die.” She said to herself, “A good day to go home.” By home she meant the eternal rest of heaven. Sure she had been condemned as a heretic, but that didn’t matter. She and God both knew that wasn’t her sin. It was what she got for standing up against the inquisition of the Knights Templar.
She had been stupid. Ever since Pope Boniface had been humiliated by the French king, he only did what was in the French’s best interest. She had just thought Boniface would listen to her; she was the Cursed Saint after all. That used to mean something.
Junia sighed and leaned back against the cold stone walls. Pride, that was her sin, for that she would burn as a heretic. It would hurt, a lot. That wouldn’t matter if it meant I can go home, She thought. She held up her wrists, the tattoos marked her as the Cursed Saint were still there. She closed her eyes, this isn’t fair God. Maybe it was stupid to think they’d be gone. The curse wouldn’t be lifted till the judgment day when the skies rolled back and the Son of God would come. Today would be a good day for the return. She thought with a huff.
She placed her hands on her flat belly. 844 years and she could still feel her unborn child. The one they had taken from her the night they cursed her. Small tears crept out from her eyes, tears for her child, husband and friends who had died that day. “Why can’t I rest with them?” she asked half expecting an answer, stranger things had happened.
But not today. The only thing strange that would happen is that after the fire she’d still be alive. That’s what the curse was: to live making penance till the last judgment for the sins of the Seven. It was some druid’s twisted sense of justice, really she was only their lackey, and scapegoat.
The cell door opened and they took her to the stake. After a few words the executioner lit the fire. The flames eventually raged into a roaring furnace. She refused to scream, even though all she could think of was the pain. The last thing she remembered was thinking, please God let me die. Then there was only darkness.
Junia woke sometime later, still in pain but at least free. She figured they must have dumped her body in the river for she was several miles down river. She leaned back against a tree, “God does this mean I have been purified?” She said as she looked up at the leaves dance in the wind and the sun shine down threw them. That was answer enough for her.
((((Sorry to edit but after i posted it I reolized the things i had had italisised did not transfer from the word document)))))
< Message edited by Rikku -- 9/27/2008 4:23:35 PM >
_____________________________
beautiful things make sad people happy and bad people better.
~Trance Gemin andromeda
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RE: Toss a Top;ic #13 - 10/1/2008 10:27:35 PM
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Rikku
Posts: 142
Joined: 11/14/2005
Status: offline
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since the time for getting enteries in is done. I figured i would be the first to give the editor critic thing. since there was some kind of agreement that all participants would work to gether to critic by editing the entery posted after the last one to post of course criticing/editing the first. So as the last person to enter i give you my thoughts on Blaze of Glory
Good stuff:
Very creative turn on the topic. Fire is most commonly used as just that, but the fire as in pulling a trigger is a very nice and creative touch.
The identity of the person who was being executed is kept hidden to almost the end, I like that because through most of it there is no way (unless you know a little about mata hari) who the criminal is. Also there is a feeling that this doesn’t necessarily have to be a real person. Then of course the reader gets to the second to last paragraph and they find out that this was a real person.
Your structure is very creative. The story is that of her life, but it is told in her last few moments on this earth.
You definitely used your words very well. You have pact a huge amound of detail in this story for being limited to 500 words.
Not so good stuff:
I must admit that it did take me till the end to see how it was related to the story. Then a second reading to catch that you had put the setting in front of the firing squad. This didn’t lose any of the over all feel but it wasn’t incredibly obvious. (this might not actually be a bad thing, but I had to put something here.)
Overall I liked it, it made me want to look more at Mata Hari. Oh what a wicked girl was she.
_____________________________
beautiful things make sad people happy and bad people better.
~Trance Gemin andromeda
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RE: Toss a Top;ic #13 - 10/14/2008 1:13:28 PM
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Rikku
Posts: 142
Joined: 11/14/2005
Status: offline
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I think a poll is a good idea.
and thanks for the votes.
_____________________________
beautiful things make sad people happy and bad people better.
~Trance Gemin andromeda
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